Blessing the Tidecaller
by Waffleface
Summary: The journey of our Ionian continues as he makes his way to the Institute of War. Unfortunately, as per usual, he quickly gets lost in yet another bastion of civilization...and in looking for guidance, he may end up giving some of his own.


_Riot Games is awesome and owns League and all its characters, etc. Cover art courtesy of FunkyShaeri on deviantart.  
_

_Ill try to do more friendship fics in the future._

_This one goes out to the amazing Grand Viper for his motivation and sheer epicness. Also, he plays a mean Udyr._

* * *

Well, for the gathering place of the most powerful denizens known to Runeterra, and a hotbed for politically-motivated gladiatorial combat, the League of Legends seemed awfully laid-back.

The center of political, magical, and any other kind of power in the known world certainly looked the part. Planted directly between the only route large armies could travel between Demacia and Noxus (intended in its design), its intimidating, colossal walls overlooked the land of Valoran from its highest peaks. The Institute of War itself was more like a small city, alive, breathing, and heavily populated-a true pinnacle of architecture, engineering, magic, and construction whose merits are beyond counting.

...And despite this, my current impressions determined that this place was an awful lot more entertaining than anything else. Even if certain elements, shrouded in controversy and mystery, left me disquieted.

Ah, permit me to explain.

After continued discussions with Lady Laurent on the nature of individual rights and politics, I found myself drawn to a particular place she consistently mentioned-the League of Legends. Fortunately, Fiora used her considerable power as both a Champion and a Demacian Noblewoman to net me a teleport directly into the Institute after what must have been several days at her estate. This allowed me to travel there quickly as well as bypass the standard security members-I was traveling there with her express permission, of course, so determining my trustworthiness was not an immediate concern for the security individuals. Fiora even provided me with some helpful paperwork should certain...issues arise.

I'd like to think that we left on good terms.

The teleportation itself was rather uneventful. Darkness enshrouded me after the mage cast his spell and I went out like a light. When I awoke, I was standing in a different place, my limbs aching slightly and my head dizzy-as if I had just rolled down a hill. Multiple times. And hit several rocks along the way-likely because of my inexperience with teleportation, considering the less-battered-looking state of several people who teleported in near me.

Ah, I forgot to say exactly _where_ I had ended up. To clarify I was now in the Institute. More specifically, the Demacian portal room.

Alien runes were laid out on neatly organized places on the ground, each containing a plaque near them to specify their destination. A junior Summoner stood near each portal, ready to teleport clients to the specified locations, and Demacias national colors draped the walls with their blue-and-yellow banner. I was currently standing on a rune whose sign read 'Demacian House of Nobles'. My security clearance (courtesy of Fiora) allowed me access to some of the Demacian services in the Institute, while my status and identification as an Ionian student allowed me to enter the Ionian wings and lounges.

I left the portal room in a hurry, mind racing as I gathered my belongings (which Fiora, ever-grateful, had granted me) around my clothing-which had been resewn by the woman in the forest and then washed by Fiora's maids.

My wanderlust had drawn me here, and I was at a loss with what to do as I left the portal wing, noting the doorways that led to the other portal rooms-including the Ionian and Neutral destinations, among others. I could gain access to Demacian quarters, but I'd honestly prefer to distance myself from there for now.

My sarcasm and dry wit disguised my ability to perceive the world around me, as much as I will note my flaws. Demacia reeked of...something that I couldn't quite place, but it frightened me to no end. I had little desire to remain connected to the 'Paragon of Justice' outside of a few individuals.

The Institute had a similar air, but...ah, that's a tale for another time.

In any event, I quickly understood that I had make a rather impulsive decision in coming to the Institute. I lacked a clear directive, and unlike the last time this had happened to me, I was frightened this time. My uneasiness was multiplied tenfold when I made my way out of the hallway leading to the portal rooms-and beheld one of what I would find to be many, _many_ crossroads.

Multiple large hallways-I counted four-took up the vast majority of each of the room's four walls, the space between them just a bit larger than the town square I had seen in Demacia (which was likely a smaller example of the squares in that city-state). Elaborate patterns of brightly colored glass dominated the large domed ceiling, the whole room given light by magic-fueled lamps on the pillars.

People of every nation walked the space between the hallways, traveling to other areas of the Institute. Purple-robed Summoners, Piltover diplomats, even several parties of yordles crossed my path, intermingling (or keeping to themselves) in abundance.

I was stunned. Demacia had crowds, and even if this was a comparatively smaller amount of people, the diversity was a shock. The League of Legends was not only the literal center of power, whether political, physical, or magical, but the continent's largest melting pot of cultures and peoples.

This was only one of the many intersections between wings of the Institute, as I was soon to find out. Large signs hewn into the pillars indicated where each hallway would lead.

As I stood in silence, stock-still, I was suddenly jostled roughly and pushed to the side. Grunting, I conceded my position to whoever saw fit to get me out of their way.

"Out of the way."

Before I could move again, seeing as my continued position had placed me in their path yet again, the owner of the rough, masculine voice knocked me aside. It wasn't terribly forceful, but my side ached slightly as I stumbled away, not bothering to glare at the offender. If they wanted to be rude to everyone around them, I might as well let someone else teach them the error of their ways.

My new position had thrust me from the hallway into the square itself. There were far fewer individuals moving about here than in the passage to the portal rooms, so standing still didn't exactly put me in a position to be manhandled. In fact, quite a few people, especially near the edges (where I just so happened to have been moved to) stood around in conversation with their fellows. My breathe caught in my throat as I made out two yordles speaking to each other, both garbed similarly to the engineers at the zeppelin tower back home. They leaned against the pillar to my right, chatting without a care

I had first set out to meet yordles, and this was my first chance before Bandle City. They didn't seem busy, so I wouldn't be imposing myself by sating some of my curiosity. What was the harm?

I began to move in their direction, going over in my head how to introduce myself. I needed to treat them with respect and not start off on the wrong foot by offending them. Noxus and Zaun gave them enough grief already.

I was getting nearer, and the one facing me had taken notice, his ears perking up as I approached. I was running out of time.

Before I could finish formulating my thoughts, I stepped up to the two yordles-both male from what I knew about sexual dimorphism in yordles. The one facing me, seeing me approach, spoke up, yellow eyes looking up at me curiously.

"Hello. Is there something you need?"

His voice held little difference from a human's, merely slightly higher pitched (and not by a great deal). I was expecting difficulty in overcoming how comical his voice might sound-this eliminated that hurdle for me, at least for the moment. He sounded friendly, if uninterested.

It occurred to me that I hadn't spoken. I coughed, nodding in his direction, hoping to seem deferential.

"Nothing. I was merely saying hello."

Wait, that's not what I wanted.

...What did I want? A chance to speak to a yordle?

Oh dear. The racist connotations of such a request did not escape me.

The yordle nodded, frowns creasing his facial fur. He may or may not have guessed what was worrying me.

"Well...hello."

He turned back to his friend dismissively, and I sighed internally in dejection at my failure. Another opportunity wasted-and I had passed up the original focus of my departure, too.

The number of things that were going well on this trip was getting very limited, however pleasant those few occurrences might be.

I sighed again, this time externally as I turned and walked, without thinking of my direction or pondering the consequence of my movement, away from the pair of Bandle City residents. There would be another time.

* * *

My disappointment was so profound that I failed to observe my surroundings or destination as I exited the intersection. All I could feel was the shame pounding my temples, repeating over and over to the inside of my skull in a monotonous drone.

_You idiot._

My careful need to examine-nay, my _indecision_-had cost me a valuable opportunity, the chance I had left my homeland to seek. An approaching light broke me out of my self-deprecation. Looking up from the floor for the first time in what felt like hours of beating myself up, I stepped into one of the Institute's gardens.

The entire area was circular, the path transitioning from smooth, polished stone to lightly overgrown, mossy rock that was barely visible beneath the lush green grass that surrounded it on all sides. The path stretched out in front of my footsteps, the pillars by my side signifying that I had just exited the building, and split off in two circular paths around the garden before meeting on the other side, the light coming in from the sun overhead blocking my view of the comparatively dark inside of the exit.

In the center of the two paths, just after they split off, lay a small pool. Rocks outlined the edges, flowing seamlessly into the grass from the neon colored reeds that grew thickly on the edges of the pond. The clear water reflected the sunlight, preventing me from seeing what lay beneath from the yellow glare. Spots dotted my eyes and I turned to observe the rest of the area.

Several flowers, some of which I recognized from Ionia, though none from Kumungu, oddly enough, dotted the edges of the path, clumping in groups at the base of the walls that lay just off the path.

The sky above reflected a pure blue color, a comforting, cloudless aqua above the walls that seemed to end abruptly, the same distance above me as the indoors highest ceilings.

The area was far too small for a large group, and still not large enough for a single person to reflect in-especially given the lack of a bench or sitting rock of any sort. Though that pool seemed to take up a great deal of space...

The area felt...odd. Not a single bird chirped or insect buzzed among the many brightly colored petals, and no fished splashed in the pond from what I could tell. Where were the animals?

It occurred to me I had been holding my breathe this entire time. Slightly dizzy, I inhaled deeply with my nose, filling my windpipe and lungs with precious air.

The area was too perfect, too lacking in flaws or pests to be naturally cultivated. It had to be an illusion, or at least magically created and maintained.

The oxygen flooding my mind brought a critical question to my attention: where was I? I was so tied up with my own disappointment (which, in hindsight, was a profoundly stupid reaction, but that's a tale for another time) that I failed to keep track of my position within the Institute.

Yet again, I was lost, and my first reaction was exactly what I expected-with a huff, I sank to my knees near the pond's edge, hands covering my eyes in frustration.

This was just perfect. Now what was I going to do? I couldn't retrace my steps without meeting those yordles again, and _that_ was an encounter I'd rather avoid, if I could. All I could think of to do was sigh in exasperation, hating myself all the while. Then a quiet splashing came to my attention.

"Are you alright?"

A soft, feminine voice reached my ears, coming from...in front of me, in the pond? Like Soraka's, it promised comfort and happiness in its intonations, but this voice was higher-pitched and younger-sounding, but only slightly. Raising my head, I looked towards the source.

The first thing I noticed were her eyes-the pupils in the center of the mass of neon orange were simple black spots, with a curved ridge above the slightly slanted eyes forming her eyebrow. A curved nose rested above gray, full lips, pursed inquisitively, the lips only slightly darker than her incredibly light orange-green skin. Her cheeks appeared smooth in their shape, not jagged, which was a contrast to what was covering most of them. A black, jagged headdress curved over her cheeks and covered her forehead, spiking out backward more ways than I could see, giving her face a fierce silhouette, which directly opposed the calmness her speech had radiated earlier. Yellow hair flowed out behind the 'helmet', whirling in the air as if submerged. Her headdress formed into a black ringed collar that went down her neck, ending in a trail of small blue gems, not unlike a necklace. The jewel itself matched the one on the forehead of her headgear.

I could see now that the skin on her face may merely have been a lower layer. For wrapping around her neck like a coat was a fluffy yellow border that cut off into dark green scales. Thin membranes grew out of her wrists, attached to her body before tapering off at the elbow.

Her upper body was above the water, the rest of it beneath the liquid-but from what I could see of her, she seemed to possess no lower limbs. The spot where the gap between her scale and skin came together near where I could only assume was her stomach was far too low for her to have legs beneath there. My suspicions were confirmed when I noticed fish-like tail poking out of the water, the same color as her scales-obviously her tail.

My immediate inquisition was sated, but I was still a man, after all, or at least one that prefers the company of the more buxom of the world. Thus, of course, my attention was drawn to the spot beneath her collar. On either side of her 'necklace', snugly holding the gem together between their rather pleasantly large size and roundness, were her breasts. Plump without hanging low, yet still pert near the sensitive areas-just right, in my eyes. Slightly more scaly than the rest of her 'skin', if the tiny bumps on them were any indication, they seemed to be just barely held in place by the flap of skin exposing the area in question. Despite the sudden, silent shortening of my breathe at the sight, I was overcome by sudden inquiries. If she was possibly a sub-aquatic being, why did...could the flaps mo-

I suddenly realized I had not said anything. Several seconds had passed in silence, with her waiting for a response and me failing very well to not give it to her. I brought my gaze up from her chest area-fortunately for me, I had gotten used to observing such things out of either my peripheral vision or without making them the focus of my gaze, disguising my observations.

Of course, I was hardly a lecher. That was simply a...precaution to keep me from having to apologize. Frequently.

I coughed to disguise how my breathing patterns had changed, and spoke.

"...I think I'm lost."

I sounded surprisingly calm considering my earlier despair, though my predicament had not lessened. As I mentioned earlier, her appearance and aura seemed to calm and console me in the same manner as Soraka's, though this new person's was perhaps more of a 'You'll be fine' and less of a 'Everything will be all right...'

Her dark eyes closed, a webbed hand moved to her mouth, and she giggled-if I was a poet, I'd call it the sound of a soft bell ringing in the ocean breeze.

But I'm not a poet, or an artist. I am, right now, just a bored, happy man who happens to be writing unpublishable works.

Wait, so how are-never mind, that's a story for another time.

Anyway, I'm not poetically inclined. So I'll say that she just giggled in a rather high-pitched and adorable manner.

"Well, that won't do, will it? I'm happy to help!"

Playful, energetic-but not youthful-teasing laced her words, as if she was a grown woman wholly amused by something going on in front of her. Which she probably was. Lifting her other hand, she tapped me on the nose with a staff that I somehow failed to notice before. The gray handle looked like it would require two hands for me to lift, much less maneuver, but she held it in one grip easily as a glowing blue portion in the shape of a wave touched my face. There were two such blue stones, one on each side of the curves that formed the U-shape that could be considered the 'tip' of the staff. They shimmered in my eyes, and when she pulled away, spots popped into my vision from the light.

"I'm Nami. Don't worry, I'm sure I'll get to know you as we walk-or as I swim, really. Won't I?"

The inquiry could hardly be considered one. Really, it was just a lighthearted suggestion, as if the answer didn't really matter. Which it probably didn't.

Before I could say anything, the rest of her body rose out of the water, seamlessly slipping out of the layer of liquid, her tail-for I had suspected correctly in that she possessed one-not showing any signs of wetness. Another property of an artificial 'pond', or maybe a natural aspect of her kind.

Tilting her head to the side in a rather accurate imitation of an inquisitive, and impatient, pet, she spoke up again in that same carefree tone that I wasn't sure was annoying or...enjoyable to hear. That happens more often than anyone would admit.

"...You'll need to tell me where you want to go, silly!"

I could tell this was going to be a _long_ walk, regardless of where I went.

* * *

I settled on finding the room I had been...given with Miss Laurent's assistance, hoping to avoid any trouble. At least on my first day.

The guests quarters weren't particularly far away, but the conversations with Nami made it feel like forever-we had probably passed the entrance to my room multiple times, but I didn't care at this point as we walked the corridors. I could safely say that I enjoyed hearing Nami speak.

Aure, I spoke some of my journey and she listened with surprising attention (of course, I excluded...certain events), but for the most part, after introductions, the Marai-for I had discovered that was her species (or race)'s name-told me about her experiences on the surface. Nami's recounting of (mostly humorous) events that she had witnessed or been involved in, mostly regarding other champions, was spoken with so much concealed laughter that I could hardly hear the actual tale.

"...And then, Lux pretended to tell Ezreal what had happened when he was...'drunk', that's the word...anyway, you should have seen the look on his face! He nearly puked when he thought that he drank some of Twitch's poison! Of course, he actually did end up vomiting, so I didn't feel so great about making someone do that, but still..."

She went on to recount another drunk story, this one involving Teemo and his subsequent booby-trapping of every conceivable hallway. I noticed, however, that she always shied away from speaking about her home with any detail. I chose not to pry. When I did speak, I avoided discussing my home, so I could understand her wish to avoid that topic. We were residents of the Institute now-it had that effect on people, sucking them in and having them make it their home, however temporarily.

"...So anyway, here we are. I think this is your room."

Nami floated in the air besides me, her tail making swimming motions through the empty space. I hadn't questioned it-after all, anything could happen in the Institute. This wasn't the most absurd way some people got themselves around-I wouldn't be surprised if she was actually 'swimming' though the miniscule water molecules in the air, though it was more likely that Summoner magic kept her afloat.

I paused, my things slung over my shoulder. A small, wooden door with a knocker and the numbers '30035'.

...Well, so much for keeping my mind off of a certain aspect of my companion's anatomy. Turning, I beheld Nami as she spun her staff in her hands, already hoping to move on to the next task-or maybe just keeping herself busy for several seconds.

"Well...thank you, Nami."

I wasn't sure what the acceptable answer would be, so I gave a small bow, and was rewarded with a small, slightly muffled giggle that indicated that she had covered her mouth.

"Oh, you."

I looked up to see her waving her hand innocent-or perhaps coquettishly. I wasn't sure which.

"It was no trouble, really!"

She hummed to herself and resumed spinning her staff, eyes playfully meeting mine.

A thought struck me, and I found myself speaking.

"Perhaps I'll see you again soon?"

Immediately after saying this, I chided myself. Now's not the time. You have...

...Well, what DID I need to do? Nothing much, and she was responding already.

"Of course, silly. You don't see any other Marai around, do you?"

With a playful, lighthearted giggle, Nami was off, green and gold tail powering her midair swim away from me. I smiled as I watched her leave, satisfied that I may have just made a new friend.

* * *

I awoke two days later, my bed squeaking in protest as my hand rushed for my hextech alarm clock, hoping to silence it was quickly as possible.

The room I had been given apparently qualified as VIP quarters, thanks to Fiora's favor. And with the setup I had, I could hardly disagree.

Firstly, I had an actual desk, not having to force my dresser to double as a place to get work done. Not like I _was_ getting any work done, anyhow, but that will be touched upon in a moment.

My bed was meant to be a single, but clearly had enough room for two individuals-even when lying on my back, I only took up a little over half the bed, whose thick, purple covers and incredibly soft sheets rivaled those of Fiora's mansion. The wooden bedposts were small and round, completely covered by my hand when I grasped them, but the ones in the back, behind the pillows, seemed to stretch far above my head when I lay my head down to attempt to rest my head. Violet carpeting, a small colorless circular window, and a private (if cramped) restroom with a shower rounded out the entire package.

In short, I had all the necessities for a man of my age to consider a place comfortable lodging, and despite such standards being exceedingly low, this was saying a lot in reference to my quarters.

In the past forty-eight hours, I had seen Nami not once, not twice, but three times, although I had only interacted with her twice.

The first was during breakfast, early in the morning when most were still in their beds-the the sun was not up, and most of the businesses were closed. The day after having met the Marai, I had earlier procured a bowl of sugared grains with cow milk-'cereal', apparently'-and was now in the process casually munching on a bowl with a spoon while walking back to my room, my path taking me through a different 'garden' with a pond.

As I passed the body of water, I was totally surprised to behold as she Nami arose from the depths, yawning and rubbing her dark eyes. Freezing in place, unsure of what to do, I watched as she placed her hands on her 'hips'-the area where her tail started-and leaned back, her stretch being marked with an audible 'pop' from her spine, causing her to shiver as tension slid away.

Of course, such a position caused her bust to protrude out with the curve of her spine, causing me to completely forget what I was planning on doing as her shapely breasts stuck out even more, bouncing slightly when she tilted back to her maximum range.

After but a moment of this muscle-loosening, Nami leaned back forward, opened her eyes, and saw me standing near the pool that had doubled as her place of rest-or one of them, at least.

"Good morning! I didn't expect to see you again so soon!"

She took no notice of my half-open mouth with my forgotten spoon in hand, instead allowing her inquisitive gaze to turn down to my bowl.

"...What are you eating?"

I managed to break out of the spell she had unwittingly spun over me. My mind grappled with itself to come to terms with just how..oddly fascinating this character was.

"...It's called cereal. Harvested grains, sweetened, and mixed with milk from a herd animal."

Nami wrinkled her nose in the manner of a child who has just uncovered a disgusting truth, an expression all of us bear at some point in our lives.

"...You drink _animal milk_? From their _body_?"

The complete shock in her tone gave away just how alien the concept was to her.

For some reason, I found that terribly endearing, reminiscent of being taught exactly how humans interacted with the world and each other-basic phrases taking on horrifying and enlightening new meanings.

Unconscionably, I had begun to walk away, and the Tidecaller followed, still slightly bleary eyed, her staff not in hand for once-her yellow arms rubbing her hair in her exhaustion.

"Well, yes. Here, let me explain..."

We managed to walk to the cafeteria to pick up Nami's Tidecaller-specific meal. As we approached, Nami interjected, energy now having returned to her voice long before this point in our discussion.

"So, you're saying that one of your ancestors looked at a...a 'cow'...and said 'I'm going to drink whatever comes out of these things when I squeeze them'?"

A smile crept up on the corners of my mouth as I nodded, and her mouth moved into an 'O' shape to symbolize her confused understanding.

She was given a tray of some unidentifiable purple gelatin, with a side of what I could see was some kind of seaweed. I pointed to the ambiguous blob as we walked back to her 'pond'.

"What's that?"

Nami couldn't respond right away, as her cheeks bulged with the wolfed-down meal. The jelly I was pointing was half gone, and she swallowed audibly before responding.

"Jellied sea cucumber! Great, isn't it?"

Now it was _my_ turn to act shocked and disgusted, and I truly did, feeling my stomach rumble in dissaproval.

"...You _eat _that?"

A nod from my companion.

"Yes. What's so odd about that?"

I chose to not speak, allowing her statement to hang in the air. She immediately recognized it, her face returning to the 'O' shape of realization.

"...Oh, that's right. You don't understand this...well, you see, first, you have to..."

It was nearly lunch by the time we had finished talking. Throughout it all, I was not only fascinated by the content-how to harvest a sea cucumber, infuse it with jellyfish, and candy it, but took the time to cross-examine Nami as she spoke.

When the Tidecaller talked of the creatures and dishes of the sea, she was elated, her inflection skipping and jumping in glee, as she did several times in the air. The same emotion carried into whenever she heard tales of land of shared her own, like before, only with a more adorably inquisitive attitude-after all, this was completely new to her.

However, when she spoke of her people, such as mentioning how a Marai baker had taught her how much urchin sugar to put in the cucumber that she taught the Institute chefs, she faltered, and her voice hinted at pain. She had shared only the most basic information about her quest (that she sought a specific gem to ward of the creatures of the deep, and had taken it upon herself to become the Marai meant to seek it), and I had not pried or done additional research, but Nami was clearly concerned for her people. Regretful that she was not with them. Worried about what might happen while she was gone.

I couldn't help but feel sorry for her, and not pityingly. I couldn't claim to understand her, but her conviction alongside her adorable curiosity made it difficult for me to not feel the call of sympathy.

Nami was clearly forging a new connection, one that she had only done a few times before, and was apprehensive about so many things that she disguised under a partially true veil of inquisition. She had friends, but I was more of an offhand connection...and I could see the pain she disguised beneath her black eyes.

In any case, I departed for the second meal of the day, and would not see her again until the next day, or at least not interact with her (as I managed to glimpse her during dinner later that day, but only in passing-she was speaking with Miss Fortune as the two of them walked through the hallway, giggling playfully. I didn't hear their whole conversation, but I heard something in passing about 'the Chomper incident'. As the Bounty Huntress and her Marai companion passed, I found my eyes drawn to the former's all-too famous strut, the sight of her hips swinging sultrily from side to side forcing my gaze in her direction-until I ran smack-dab into a pillar, my stomach colliding directly with the stone. Winded, I stumbled forward, but smiled at the memory of the two women's rear ends walking (and swimming) away from me.

Totally worth it.

* * *

Something that must be made clear was that I understood my position in relation to Nami. She was a foreigner, a League champion, and I was the equivalent of a one-time conversation on a ship in the span of her connections, compared to the regular friendship I saw her engaging in with Sarah Fortune. The two did seem perfect for each other as friends-their carefree, playful, at times sultry (in Nami's case, innocently so) fronts, as well as their more private, personal burdens allowed the two women to fit in with whatever situation they confronted together-whether on or off the Fields, from the few matches I had seen. I did not grasp the true intricacies of their friendship, however, which I expected given that in the brief time I had spoken with her, we hadn't delved into anything nearly that personal.

A thought occurred to me. If these two women were League champions, there was obviously the chance that they could be pitted against each other. How, exactly, could the two of them continue to be friends if they constantly ran the risk of being on enemy teams? The thought vanished as quickly as it came, but it continued to gnaw at my consciousness. A question for another day, no doubt.

It must also be emphasized that I was not stalking either woman. I had free time and spent it observing their games, and overhearing some banter in the halls of the Institute allowed me to exercise my analyzing skills to determine the quality and nuances of their outwardly simple relationship. I wasn't sure why examined Nami so...perhaps it could be that this was the first time I had not been greeted with hostility by an individual in a new setting, or that she was of a totally alien species, or that I was simply uncovering the complexities of an individual. Regardless, I felt safe in my actions, knowing that I had done nothing wrong.

In any case, I felt strangely relieved when I awoke the day I would meet her, as if my body anticipated finally seeing once again, in person, the individual who had been the cause of so much investigation in the past few days.

A fine theory, except our meeting was purely by chance and I could not have had any way of knowing about it.

Initial contact was in a similar fashion as our first meeting-I was strolling through one of the Institute's many 'garden ponds' Nami had arisen from the water-her similarity to the stories of mermaids I had heard snippets of cannot be overemphasized-and let out a small laugh as she saw me standing there by pure coincidence-I didn't quite notice she was there until she spoke.

"Hey! I remember you! You were the one who told me about animal milk, right? How have you been?"

I was not nearly as surprised by her sudden appearance-further proof that my mind had somehow predicted this moment and prepared itself beforehand. I, on the other hand, had not.

"...I've been...hello, I've been alright, thank you. Did I wake you up?"

A swift shaking of her head dismissed my concern, and I exhaled slightly with relief. If I was going to find out more about her-a new motivation I had been considering that was solidified upon seeing her once again-I needed to not rouse her unreasonably.

"No, I've already been awake for hours. What are you doing? You don't normally walk by my pools."

"You can see who's outside your pools?"

Nami nodded, exiting the water fully, gripping her staff in her right hand.

"Yes-it's difficult to explain. Were you in a hurry? I can explain if you have time, but I'm sure you have somewhere to be."

"...No, I think...I think I'm free. What's difficult to explain about it?"

For the first time, Nami rolled her shoulders and shrugged in bemusement.

"I'm not sure, really. I can just get an...outline of those who walk near my water. Maybe one of their little magical tags to keep track of people, and I'm just using one for my own nefarious ends-spying on everyone who passes me."

Nami giggled, and I flushed a little at the admittedly gorgeous sound.

The same surge of emotions began to arise in me as before-amusement, embarrassment-and most of all, curiosity. A desire to uncover someone's attributes in depth, after careful observation.

If it was not obvious enough yet, I tended to have a talent for noticing key-and often subtle-details in individuals I met, being able to determine how exactly they carried themselves in specific situations-and what that said about them as a whole. However, besides several characters I had encountered after departing my homeland, and only one or two back home (Soraka being chief among them), I had rarely felt such a compulsive need to spend more than a few moments observing the attributes of Nami's character-I needed to engage with her to learn.

Even today, a key fact escapes me: why did I have such a compulsive need to _know_? Wouldn't uncovering everything be invading their privacy, which I sometimes demolished just at a glance?

Truthfully, I don't know. But at the time, I was conflicted on the nature of my interest in Nami's affairs, even if I was certain of the mission itself.

Returning to the tale at hand, I had nodded with enthusiasm that surprised even myself, and the two of us had begun our second walk-only the topics began to drift into far more eventful territory than our first discussion.

It had begun when we brought up our food preferences as we passed several food stands-one of them advertising Piltoverian Ice Cream, which I pointed out was a milk product-and had continued on our way, discussing food vibrantly as I reaffirmed my partiality to cereal. We must have made quite the scene, a young Ionian listening to the aquatic-woman's bubbly inquiries and assertions and responding with his own.

My recent exploits, I noted, had had a startling effect on me-I was significantly less dispassionate then before. I would have looked on with neutral disinterest on people like Nami (at least, as close to Nami as anyone can get) and felt out of place, and here I was speaking animatedly with a Marai about human food. This would require further investigation, but that could wait. We were arriving at another pool, and I could see Nami approaching the waters-likely on her way to rest beneath the surface. I allowed myself another question.

"So, why do you find milk so disgusting?"

Nami made a face, sticking her tongue out in an exaggerated 'ew' look.

"It's a sticky liquid that we drank as younglings...why would we need to have any more now? You're not supposed to get any anymore once you get old enough."

I was about to respond that this was different, when I caught a key phrase-'we drank'. Nami's species milk-fed their offspring...and something suddenly made sense.

Much of the newly integrated conversation techniques I had refined in our conversations (which probably totaled to several hours at this point) disappeared with my next statement, to be replaced by a later palm on my face.

"Sorry, I guess I was just...curious as to why you had breasts."

An awkward silence settled over us as Nami absorbed what I said, and I instantly buried my face in my hands.

Wonderful job, me. I'd really been outdoing myself in the idiotic outburst department lately. Here came the hurricane...or rather, the tidal wave.

...But, to my surprise, Nami did not gasp out in offense. After taking in what I had said, she didn't skip a beat, falling back into a response.

"Strange, no? Marai women have them, like your women do. My mother fed me the same way yours did, you could say, only underwater. Funny, isn't it? I think so."

Nami looked down at her ample cleavage before turning back up to me, and her brief downward gaze brought my attention to something that I knew I had to ask. I had-or she had allowed me to-cross a certain line in conversation, and what we could and could not talk about might possibly be widening. But it might close again, and I had another inquiry motivated not only by my curiosity related to Nami, but by a nagging biological questions that had rested in my mind.

"Are the scales near your...breasts part of your skin, or your clothing?"

Once again, I facepalmed, fully expecting an outburst. She had tolerated the first overstepping of a boundary, but a second? That wouldn't be met the same way, I would think. I really had a talent for ruining perfectly good moments, didn't I?

...Except like before, Nami didn't yowl in anger-instead, she merely tilted her head in contemplation before responding, tapping her chin thoughtfully.

"Well, they're a loose flap of scales, a bit more malleable and softer than the scales on our bodies. So, a bit of both, I would guess."

The nonchalance with which she handed over one of the most awkward pieces of information I've ever received was...well, it rendered me flabbergasted, to say the least. She really _did_ fail to see the problem with it, evidently. Still, I probably owed her an apology, even if she really saw no problem with answering.

"...Sorry about that. That sort of just...came out."

Another tinkling giggle. Nothing kept Nami down for long, it at all. Still, that faint, nagging doubt I held earlier about what she might feel on the inside was there, worrying me to no end with its lack of a resolution.

"It's fine. Sarah told me someone would bring it up eventually, and I must say, you weren't nearly as horrid as she predicted this kind of conversation would be."

"...I noticed you walking with Sarah yesterday. You're friends? How did you meet?"

Nami stopped spinning her staff in her hand all of a sudden as I finished, eyes looking downward, looking almost...downcast.

"...Well, Sarah was one of the first humans I really interacted with...you remember I mentioned finding my way here? Well, Sarah's the one who told me about this place, led me here when she could."

Her previously excited vocal fluctuations had become muted, sobered. In the briefest of seconds, the Tidecaller had transformed from an upbeat, energetic conversationalist into a rather depressed-looking mer-woman. Had I crossed a line, possibly for the second time?

"...So, you're great friends because she's the first human you met? Because she helped you get here?"

I cursed myself, but didn't have a clever retort for my own idiocy. My hunger for information, for clarity in the nagging questions that had been driving me along had provoked me to ignore the signs that she was in pain.

"...It sort of just...well...I..."

There was a minute biting of her lower lip, barely visible but for the flash of her teeth, and her scale-eyebrows furrowed as she continued, voice dropping even further into sadness. I had seriously knocked the happy energy out of her, but I couldn't have foreseen the rapid emotional shift she would go through. A tear rolled down her cheek as the memories flooded over her, reminders of her past home, her life, and the platonic solace she found with Sarah.

I knew the pirate hunter's story, courtesy of my own investigations, and I instantly saw the orphan, thanks to the chaos her home was engulfed in, Miss Sarah Fortune had thrust the responsibility of a monumental task onto herself, that of turning a city-state nearly everyone had turned away from, deeming Bilgwater too corrupted to be an ally. One woman and her crew sought to change all that, to mold the free-spirit of Bilgewater into a tangible, functioning political entity, not a throwaway resource producer. Her aims may not have seemed realistic, but with her skills and conviction Sarah Fortune had already made significant progress towards building a better Bilgewater.

Nami had left the safety of her home, orphaning herself, at least temporarily, to set out on a seemingly impossible task for which she was not meant to undertake. Despite all odds, she had succeeded...but victory, so closely held within her grasp, was kept just out of reach by a critical question. She was cheated of being able to return to her home by a tiny factor, and knowing that even if she finally resolves her quest, it may mean the end of the connections she has on the surface world. Upon meeting each other, the two must have certainly seen the similarities between their two stories and resolved, whether silently or aloud, to help each other cope together.

How expertly they concealed their pain! Holding the negative emotions within themselves, expressing only what positive feelings they held within them so as not to trouble overmuch their companions...the two women were so very similar. So very able to disclose to each other as friends. But there was yet another facet of this connection that I was, in Nami's sorrow, exposing myself to.

Nami's closest friend was a fellow League champion. While it meant that they had opportunities to work alongside each other, it also meant that more often than not, Nami would be working to help kill Sarah Fortune or be unfortunate enough to get slaughtered by the bounty huntress. While such occurences obviously did not break their friendship, as evidenced by their ongoing relationship, having to regularly commit violence against one of your only friends must be an incredible strain and source of guilt or pain.

But I was no Summoner, no Champion. I was merely an immature young man on a selfish journey who suddenly understood the value of homesickness-and was struck by it himself. But if I was in no danger of being hurt by Nami in combat-if I was never going to be in a position to battle against her for sport-then, perhaps, could I be a friend who avoided the unifying potential of battling alongside the Tidecaller while also staying clear of ever needing to hurt her? Is that what Nami saw in me, in our relationship? Was I in a position to heal a healer?

I couldn't help myself, stone heart wavering. Reaching out a hand, I brushed the tear away from Nami's cheek, head tilted down, allowing it to rest against Nami's forehead. Locks of hair brushed against scales as the Marai shuddered in silent sobs, a webbed finger grasping the hand of the emotional intruder who now reached out to her in comfort, accepting the invitation of companionship. Nami's scaled breasts pressed against my chest, and I could feel her heartbeat fluttering in distress beneath them.

"I'm sorry."

And I remained there, standing quietly by the shimmering pool, silently giving comfort to one I truly felt I could call a friend.

* * *

_Non-lemon this time, as I'm getting a little bored of writing this little oc. But rest assured, they will be smexytimes with this boy and_ _his...fish-woman?_

_Regardless, Foxy Lady 4 is my next major project, after a little something else._

_Did I force the feels too much? This is my first attempt at sappy writing._


End file.
